10 musician portrait tattoos that look like the real thing

Getting a portrait tattoo is a risky move, but if it’s done right, it can be a work of art on your body. 

You have to be a pretty die-hard fan of somebody to put their face on your body. The process takes forever, and you need to be ready to drop a lot of cash. However, people get portraits of their favorites inked permanently on them on a regular basis, so it can’t be too crazy of an idea. 

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We’ve rounded up 10 examples of extremely realistic portrait tattoos of musicians for you to stare at in amazement and maybe get some inspiration for your next piece. You can check them out below.

1. Gerard Way

https://twitter.com/GothicxDiva/status/1108202699672248325

This My Chemical Romance fan has several tattoos honoring the band, one of which is a super-realistic portrait of Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge–era Gerard Way.

2. Paramore

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bkihuy9lM4R/

One fan got a colorful tattoo of all the members of Paramore that looks exactly like the Hard Times photo it’s based on. Plus, the quirky colors and design make it even more eye-catching.

3. Jeffree Star

While Jeffree Star is known in 2020 for being a cosmetics and YouTube mogul, he got his start by posting music on Myspace and hitting the Warped Tour stage. One fan got this realistic tattoo of Star featuring ice cream, paying homage to his love of sweets and the song of the same name. Star’s own body is also covered with portraits of famous faces such as Kurt Cobain and Edward Scissorhands, so it’s extra fitting for this list.

4. Billie Joe Armstrong

We’re envious of this ultra-realistic sleeve inspired by the Green Day frontman that perfectly captures Billie Joe Armstrong’s personality and onstage looks.

5. Melanie Martinez

This piece inspired by a still from Melanie Martinez’s film K-12 is creepily accurate. Placing “Mad Hatter” lyrics over her mouth adds a unique touch. 

6. Lil Peep

After the emo rapper’s passing, many fans paid homage to Lil Peep by getting super-realistic portraits of him on their body. There were far too many unique options to just pick one.

7. Tyler Joseph

This tattoo of twenty one pilots’ Tyler Joseph is beautiful at first glance. However, if you look closely into the reflection of his sunglasses, you see he’s sitting at a piano, which was a thoughtful addition.

8. Post Malone

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4e2SN1jHHK/

This piece is like tattoo inception because someone got Post Malone’s face inked on their body, complete with replicas of his own face tattoos. The portrait perfectly captures Posty’s personality with a grin on his face.

9. Billie Eilish

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-UCmolFZhh/

Inspired by the No Time To Die single artwork for the track of the same name, this portrait of Billie Eilish is moody AF in the best way possible. It’s a subtle way to honor the star without featuring spiders crawling on her face or black ink pouring out of her eyes, which would be sick, for the record.

10. Brendon Urie

The craft on this Brendon Urie piece just deserves recognition. This portrait of the Panic! At The Disco frontman shows off his charisma with a signature pouty face.